Purpose: This paper demonstrates how immigrant families from developing countries deal with the return home dilemma. It does this by applying Dumont and Spielvogel (2008) model to the situations of some selected Sudanese migrant families in different countries.Design/methodology/approach: A group of immigrant Sudanese families had been interviewed using different methods during the years 2011, 2012, and 2013 in the GCC, Sudan, and a third group in North America. The interviews were usually with the fathers of the families. All of them are married and have children. Henceforth, these families were compared with each other, as well as with other countries, to examine the dilemma of returning home, which faced this segment of Sudanese migrants in the countries of destination, as an example of immigrants from developing countries.Findings: In general, the results of the study indicate families in the Gulf States share one common pattern. All cases (with temporary residence) seemed to have returned to their country of birth (Sudan); this is in contrast to the North American families (with permanent residence). In addition, the North American families appeared to have migrated to more than one destination country. Almost all the families in North America divided their time between Sudan, USA and Canada; they indicated a final return to Sudan would be likely. Finally, all the families of the two groups were shown to be satisfied with their decision to migrate out of Sudan.Originality/value: This paper adds new empirical knowledge to the issue of immigrants’ return from the developing countries. Its findings are therefore important for a number of countries.Keywords:Home return, return migration, Sudanese immigrants, Sudan, UAE, USAReference to this paper should be made as follows: Shallal, M. (2017) ‘Return migration: dilemma of immigrants from developing countries’, Int. J. of Sudan Research, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 67–84.